Elizabeth Wells Gallup
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Wells Gallup was an American educator and exponent of the Baconian theory
of Shakespearian authorship.
She was born Elizabeth Wells, and studied at Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University
), the Sorbonne
and the University of Marburg. She taught in Michigan
for some twenty years and became a high school principal. She used married name Gallup but retained her maiden name, Wells.
She was interested in the life and work of Francis Bacon
and, together with her sister Kate Wells, initially worked on the theories of Dr Orville Ward Owen
. She subsequently became convinced of the use of the bi-literal cipher in early Shakespeare printing to conceal messages concerning the authorship of the works and other statements about the secret history of the times. This type of cipher, also known as Bacon's cipher
, had been discussed in Bacon's work. It depended on the use of two distinct typeface
s within the same text to conceal messages.
Gallup came to this conclusion in 1895. In subsequent years she published a large body of literature claiming to have uncovered deciphered content in the work of Bacon, Shakespeare and others.
In later years her work was largely sponsored by Colonel George Fabyan
at his Riverbank Laboratories
in Geneva, Illinois
. Fabyan, who had also funded Owen's work, supported a research staff working on her theory, which initially included the cryptographers William Friedman and Elizebeth Friedman
. During her time at the laboratories she published many books containing decipherments of hidden messages in the work of Bacon and other writers. Her decipherments "discovered" that Bacon was the son of Queen Elizabeth and the heir to the throne. He was also discovered to be the author of the works of Christopher Marlowe
, George Peele
and Robert Burton
. Gallup also published the play The Tragedy of Anne Boleyn which was supposed to have been hidden in cipher-form in Bacon/Shakespeare's works.
The Friedmans later published a careful study of her theory showing that the range of type forms used in the printing of the works of Shakespeare conformed to the normal printing practices of the time, meaning a lot of different fonts were used in an apparently haphazard manner. They report outside experts examined the letter fonts used in the printing of Shakespeare's plays and concluded that, with few exceptions, it was not possible to unambiguously separate them into two groups, as the Bacon bi-literal cipher requires. Also that none of Mrs. Gallup's decode assistants at Riverbank were ever able to duplicate her work. The Friedmans concluded that in attempting to use Bacon's bi-literal cipher to decode Shakespeare's works the variable fonts allowed Mrs. Gallup in practice great freedom in selecting most letters of her message with the result that she found "what it was she was determined to find."(p278)
Baconian theory
The Baconian theory of Shakespearean authorship holds that Sir Francis Bacon, lawyer, philosopher, essayist and scientist, wrote the plays conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare, and that the historical Shakespeare was merely a front to shield the identity of Bacon, who could not take...
of Shakespearian authorship.
She was born Elizabeth Wells, and studied at Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
), the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
and the University of Marburg. She taught in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
for some twenty years and became a high school principal. She used married name Gallup but retained her maiden name, Wells.
She was interested in the life and work of Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
and, together with her sister Kate Wells, initially worked on the theories of Dr Orville Ward Owen
Orville Ward Owen
Dr. Orville Ward Owen was an American physician, and exponent of the Baconian theory of Shakespearean authorship. Owen claimed to have discovered hidden messages contained in the works of Shakespeare/Bacon. He deciphered these using a device he invented called a "cipher wheel"...
. She subsequently became convinced of the use of the bi-literal cipher in early Shakespeare printing to conceal messages concerning the authorship of the works and other statements about the secret history of the times. This type of cipher, also known as Bacon's cipher
Bacon's cipher
Bacon's cipher or the Baconian cipher is a method of steganography devised by Francis Bacon. A message is concealed in the presentation of text, rather than its content.-Cipher details:...
, had been discussed in Bacon's work. It depended on the use of two distinct typeface
Typeface
In typography, a typeface is the artistic representation or interpretation of characters; it is the way the type looks. Each type is designed and there are thousands of different typefaces in existence, with new ones being developed constantly....
s within the same text to conceal messages.
Gallup came to this conclusion in 1895. In subsequent years she published a large body of literature claiming to have uncovered deciphered content in the work of Bacon, Shakespeare and others.
In later years her work was largely sponsored by Colonel George Fabyan
George Fabyan
George Fabyan was a millionaire businessman who founded a private research laboratory. Fabyan's laboratory pioneered modern cryptography, though its initial findings, supporting Fabyan's belief that Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare's plays, were later disproven by the cryptographers who trained...
at his Riverbank Laboratories
Riverbank Laboratories
Riverbank Laboratories, or Riverbank Labs, is a company on Route 31 in Geneva, Illinois that started in 1918. This company has played an instrumental piece in the United States history of World War I for decrypting the German and Mexican code. The current address for the company is 1512 Batavia Ave...
in Geneva, Illinois
Geneva, Illinois
Geneva is the county seat of Kane County, Illinois. It is located on the western fringe of the Chicago suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 26,652. Geneva is part of a tri-city area, along with St. Charles and Batavia...
. Fabyan, who had also funded Owen's work, supported a research staff working on her theory, which initially included the cryptographers William Friedman and Elizebeth Friedman
Elizebeth Friedman
Elizebeth Smith Friedman was a cryptanalyst and author, and a pioneer in U.S. cryptography. The special spelling of her name is attributed to her mother, who disliked the prospect of Elizebeth ever being called "Eliza." She has been dubbed "America's first female cryptanalyst".Although she is...
. During her time at the laboratories she published many books containing decipherments of hidden messages in the work of Bacon and other writers. Her decipherments "discovered" that Bacon was the son of Queen Elizabeth and the heir to the throne. He was also discovered to be the author of the works of Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe
Christopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
, George Peele
George Peele
George Peele , was an English dramatist.-Life:Peele was christened on 25 July 1556. His father, who appears to have belonged to a Devonshire family, was clerk of Christ's Hospital, and wrote two treatises on bookkeeping...
and Robert Burton
Robert Burton (scholar)
Robert Burton was an English scholar at Oxford University, best known for the classic The Anatomy of Melancholy. He was also the incumbent of St Thomas the Martyr, Oxford, and of Segrave in Leicestershire.-Life:...
. Gallup also published the play The Tragedy of Anne Boleyn which was supposed to have been hidden in cipher-form in Bacon/Shakespeare's works.
The Friedmans later published a careful study of her theory showing that the range of type forms used in the printing of the works of Shakespeare conformed to the normal printing practices of the time, meaning a lot of different fonts were used in an apparently haphazard manner. They report outside experts examined the letter fonts used in the printing of Shakespeare's plays and concluded that, with few exceptions, it was not possible to unambiguously separate them into two groups, as the Bacon bi-literal cipher requires. Also that none of Mrs. Gallup's decode assistants at Riverbank were ever able to duplicate her work. The Friedmans concluded that in attempting to use Bacon's bi-literal cipher to decode Shakespeare's works the variable fonts allowed Mrs. Gallup in practice great freedom in selecting most letters of her message with the result that she found "what it was she was determined to find."(p278)